Food handler cards · By state & county

Which card does your job actually require?

The wrong course is wasted money — Washington rejects every site except its own $10 program, and New York City doesn't accept ServSafe for its supervisor certificate. Find your state first, then buy once.

14 state guides liveEvery fact linked to an official sourceNo cards sold here — we never issue certificates

Kitchen staff preparing food in a commercial kitchen — **⚠ Washington: the $10 rule**
Only foodworkercard.wa.gov issues a valid Washington Food Worker Card. Any other site selling you one is selling paper an inspector won't accept.

State guides — live now

The first fourteen pages, built on the reusable template below. Each one answers the same six questions: who needs it, deadline, cost, validity, exact steps, and the official source to check before you pay.

The fourteen, side by side

Costs marked “typical” are what accredited online providers commonly charge — the state doesn't set them. Where the state does set the price, it says so.

State	Required?	Deadline	Cost	Valid	Accepted from
California	Yes — most retail food handlers	Within 30 days of hire	$7–$15 typical	3 years	ANAB-accredited providers only
Texas	Yes — food employees	Within 30 days of hire	$6–$15 typical	2 years	DSHS-licensed or ANAB-accredited
New York	NYC: supervisors only	Holder on site at all hours	Free course + $24 exam (NYC)	Never expires (NYC)	NYC Health only — not ServSafe
Florida	Yes — training, no state card	Within 60 days of hire	Often employer-paid	3 years	DBPR-approved programs
Washington	Yes — all food workers	Within 14 days of starting	$10 — state-set, flat	2 yrs first · 3 yrs renewal	foodworkercard.wa.gov only
Illinois	Yes — paid food handlers	Within 30 days after employment	No set fee — option for $15 or less	3 years (restaurant & listed facilities)	ANSI (restaurant) · IDPH-registered (non-restaurant)
Ohio	No blanket card — PIC & manager tiers	None set — certified PIC per shift	No state fee — set by course providers	No expiration in state rule	ODH-approved providers only
Georgia	No statewide card — CFSM per establishment	No card deadline — CFSM within 60 days	No state fee — CFSM exam provider-set	No card validity — CFSM per credentialing org	DPH-approved training · CFP-accredited exam
North Carolina	No statewide card — CFPM per establishment	210 days after permit (new)	No state fee	Per accrediting program	ANSI-CFP accredited programs
Pennsylvania	No statewide card — manager cert per facility	90 days from licensing (new)	No state fee	Per accrediting program	ANAB-accredited (CFP standards)
Michigan	No statewide card — 1 certified manager	On opening (new)	No state fee	"Currently certified" — per program	ANSI-accredited (CFP standards)
Arizona	County-dependent — no statewide card	Set by county	Set by county	Set by county — reciprocal	County-issued cards
New Jersey	No statewide card — CFPM in Risk Type 3	No state deadline	No state fee	CFPM per program; Newark 3 yrs	NJ-accredited orgs; local providers
Virginia	No statewide card — CFPM per establishment	No state deadline	No state fee (Portsmouth $15)	CFPM 5 yrs; Portsmouth 2 yrs	CFP/ANSI-accredited; local districts

Three ways people waste money on this

These are the traps each state guide is built to catch before checkout.

1 · Buying a “Washington card” from a .com site

Washington's Department of Health is explicit: the only authorized online program is foodworkercard.wa.gov, run for the state. Lookalike sites charge more than $10 for a certificate Washington does not recognize.

2 · Using ServSafe for a NYC supervisor job

NYC runs its own Food Protection Course and in-person exam. National manager certificates — ServSafe included — do not replace the NYC Health certificate, and a holder must be on the premises during all hours of operation.

3 · Paying in Florida before asking your employer

Florida law makes training the establishment's duty, completed within 60 days through a DBPR-approved program. Many employers already provide it — ask first, and never buy a generic “Florida card” from an unapproved seller.

The state-page template

Every new state ships with this exact skeleton, so page 6 and page 50 are as trustworthy as page 1. Nothing publishes until the official source in field 06 is verified.

01Quick answerRequired or not, deadline, cost, validity — in two sentences, above the fold.

02Who needs itRoles covered, who is exempt, and how this credential differs from a food manager certificate.

03Steps, in orderChoose an accepted provider → complete training → pass/record → give your employer proof.

04Cost & validity tableState-set fee vs. typical provider price, clearly labeled. Renewal window and retake rule.

05Local trapsCounty exceptions, copycat sites, and credentials this state explicitly does not accept.

06Official sourceThe regulator's own page, linked verbatim, with the date it was last checked.

Still to build — same template

Queued next in population order. These are placeholders for the nightly build routine, not guides — no facts are claimed for them yet.

MassachusettsQueued

TennesseeQueued

IndianaQueued

+ 33 more statesTemplate ready

Questions every new hire asks

General answers — your state guide above is the one that counts for your job.

Is a food handler card the same as a food manager certificate?

No. A handler card is the short, entry-level training for people who handle food. A manager certificate (such as a Certified Food Protection Manager credential) is a longer, proctored exam for the person in charge — valid 5 years in Texas and Florida. Many workplaces require both: a certified manager on duty, and handler training for everyone else.

Will my card work if I move to another state?

Usually not. Washington explicitly rejects out-of-state cards, and NYC only accepts its own certificate. California and Texas cards are valid statewide where issued, but a new state generally means new training. Check the destination state's guide before you start the job.

Can I complete everything online, the same day?

In California, Texas, Florida, and Washington, yes for the standard handler credential — most courses take 1–2 hours and issue a downloadable certificate. New York City is the exception in this set: the course is free online, but the final exam must be taken in person.

Who pays — me or my employer?

It varies. Florida law places the training duty on the establishment. Elsewhere, many employers reimburse or provide a provider link. Either way, keep your own copy of the certificate — in California and Washington it belongs to you and travels with you between jobs.

How do I know a course site is legitimate?

Check it against the official source on your state page before paying: California and Texas require ANAB accreditation or a DSHS license number on the certificate; Washington accepts only its .wa.gov site; Florida requires a DBPR-approved program. If a site can't name its accreditation, don't pay it.